A South Korean official says a North Korean soldier has defected to the South after killing two officers.

A South Korean Defense Ministry Official says the defection took place around noon on Saturday across the western section of the heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone separating the two countries.

The official said the soldier is being interrogated and has confessed to shooting two of his superior officers before crossing the border.

Defections across the DMZ are rare because the border is tightly sealed and both sides are heavily armed.